Irán, República Islámica del - Petrochemical workers threatened during strike (2012)

Despite management threats, 6,500 workers at the government-owned Mahshahr Bandar Imam Petrochemical complex, in the South-West of Iran, took strike action on 28 September, demanding an end to management’s use of subcontracting firms at the plant. Workers are not directly employed and are thus barred from attempting to bargain collectively with management and are employed on temporary contracts. Earlier in March, workers had conducted an 11-day strike for similar demands. That strike was suspended after a government promise to respond to workers’ demands within three months. The Free Union of Iranian Workers reported that on the seventh day of the strike, three oil workers were summoned to the security office and immediately arrested. These were Mansour Abbasi, a worker with the Khawrazmi subcontracting company and a workers’ representative; Mohammad Bagher Bagheri, a worker at the Fars Industries contracting company and a workers’ representative; and Jasem Bandarani, another worker at the Khawrazmi subcontracting company. The arrests followed several protest rallies near the main offices of the petrochemical complex which included marches and chants. The three arrested workers have since been released on bail.